Our Sneaky Little Glances
by CrowOfMist
Summary: We walk in opposite paths. One of light and one of darkness. As we walk down such parallel paths, we can't help but wonder; Could our paths intersect and give us the luxury time so we don't have to limit ourselves with sneaky little glances? [Canon]
1. Prologue

**OUR SNEAKY LITTLE GLANCES**

**PROLOGUE**

It's all finally over. We fought the Oracion Seis and won. We destroyed Nirvana before it reached Cait Shelter. We were all wounded but we were victorious. But those are not the reason why I'm overwhelmed by the feeling of fulfillment. Those were great achievements yet they seemed so little compared to the presence of one person.

Jellal is here.

He's no longer the corrupted man who believes that darkness can grant his paradise. This Jellal we are seeing is a whole different man. He awoke from such a long slumber with my last name on his lips. The last name he had given me when we were kids. All of his memories had left him yet he still remembered my last name.

Truth be told, all the pain he made me go through, all the sins he committed, and all the anger I have felt all went down the drain the moment he called out for me.

"Im afraid… of getting my memories back."

His head bowed down, his eyes full of uncertainty. It pains me to see him like this.

"I'm here for you."

He looked at me, surprise written all over his face. The face I missed so much. It's been so long since the last time we have been able to talk to each other without hostility in the atmosphere. The place may be wrong, yet I felt the time was right.

"Even if we ended up hating each other again, I just can't leave you alone… I-"

And just when I thought our troubles were already over, Ichiya cried out and we realized that we were being restrained. The Council was right there. They came to get Hoteye. We were all against it, having witnessed his good will. On the other hand, Richard is willing to turn himself in, stating that it would be best for him to start over after he had served his years in jail. However, it was revealed that his brother was actually Wally, and so I told him that his brother is fine. After that, he was more than happy to go with the council.

I glanced over to Jellal who still had the gloomy air to him. Does he perhaps remember Wally?

"Isn't it enough already?! Undo this magic now! I can't hold it any longer~"

"No. There is another amongst you beside the Oracion Seis."

We were all confused at Lahar's statement. Another criminal among our group? All of us belong to legal guilds and have no criminal records, right?

"Infiltrating the council… Leading to its destruction… Firing Etherion. There is an evil far worse than the Oracion Seis!"

That's when it hit me.

"Jellal Fernandes, you are under arrest for the crime of federal treason."

"But Jellal has lost all of his memories! He doesn't remember any of that!"

"That is no cause for pardon"

"B-but.."

"It's all right. I have no intention of resisting. I never managed to remember you in the end. I am truly sorry, Wendy."

He paused.

"Erza."

I closed my eyes, fearing the words to come out of his mouth. Fearing the last words that will mark our eternity of separation.

"Thank you… for everything."

No. I have to stop this…

I have to stop it now…

Or Jellal will be gone…

Just when he had finally awakened from his bad dream…

I can't let him fall back into the darkness again…

I can't let him go…

"He's not going anywhere!"

And before I knew it, Natsu along with the others have gone into a brawl with the council. They were eager to get Jellal back for my sake. They were fighting as I stand by, considering my options.

I want Jellal back, but not by letting Fairy Tail get into trouble with the council yet again.

"Enough! Stop this!"

My companions had stopped to look at me, concern evident in their eyes. I want them to believe that I'm okay… That I will not shed any tear for the blue-haired man again...

"I apologise for the commotion. I will take full responsibility."

Yet my voice started to quiver as I started the next line.

"You may…take Jellal away."

He smiled, taking a last glance over his shoulder.

"Farewell… Erza."

And that day, under skies with the same shade as my scarlet hair, I cried my heart out yet again for the man who had always been able to find his way into my heart


	2. Chapter 1: Far Apart yet Connected

**OUR SNEAKY LITTLE GLANCES**

**CHAPTER 1: Far Apart yet Connected**

"Well then, Titania. Your friends are on the verge of death, and the only one who can save them is you. Do you have the power necessary to save your comrades?"

Azuma wanted a commendable foe, and Erza was enough to satisfy his hunger for a good match, but what good is a fight with your opponent being complacent to her nakama's strength? He wants her to fight him without holding back; thus, the need for a bargain. Erza gritted her teeth as she glared at Azuma, now bearing the weight of her nakama's lives on her back. She must remain strong, for it was not only her life that was at risk.

"My comrades' lives are on the line. I'll do whatever it takes to win!" Filled with determination to defeat Azuma, Erza engages Azuma in battle.

Meanwhile, in a solitary cell deep within the council's quarters sat Jellal Fernandes. It was quite the irony for him as he have once slept in the same quarters as a council member, with sheets of silk and linen and waited upon by some of the council's servants, but now he had to sleep in a bench-like bed as nothing more than a criminal serving his years in jail. He continued to squirm in the corner, not because of the discomfort brought by the improvised bunk, but rather because of the uneasiness he had been feeling for the past hour.

He tried so hard to shake off the bad feeling but it only seemed to worsen. It felt like a connection - a connection to someone important.

"Tower Burst!"

The anguished screams of Titania were heard as her body was engulfed in an enormous tower of explosive flames. Recovering from the attack, she requips back into her Heart Kreuz Armor, wondering what to do. The red-haired mage realizes that she wouldn't have enough magical power to strike a destructive attack if she wastes it on defensive power. With a resolve to finish the battle with one final blow, Erza requips to her simple clothes and pulls out a single sword. She charged at Azuma, giving all her strength into the Demon Blade Crimson Sakura. Azuma only urged her forward before she gets wrapped up in branches, trapping her as the Great Tree Arc magic user releases the magic of Tenrou upon her.

Sitting in the dark corner of his cell, a feeling of trepidation washed over Jellal, urging him to call out the name of the person he felt most connected to.

"Erza…"

The frogs who were guarding his cell from the outside heard him mutter and immediately mistook it as an attempt to cast a spell, one of them torturing Jellal as punishment. The blue-haired mage pays it no mind for he knows that Erza Scarlet is bearing much more pain than he is now. Erza was suffering, and to suffer is not what she deserved.

"Erza… Don't lose.

Erza jolts awake as she hears the distant voice of Jellal, wondering if it was just her imagination_. 'No. Whether it was an imagination or not doesn't matter.' _She thought as she stood up with the help of her sword. She had her nakama to worry about. It wasn't the time to be naive and to get carried away. That guy is nowhere near anymore. It wasn't the time to hang onto her memories.

She clutched the hilt of her sword, charging at Azuma despite being all battered up and having barely any magical power left. Azuma smirked at the requip mage's stubbornness. Yes, this was exactly the challenge he yearned to have. It seems like Titania had a certain bluenette in mind, and he'd be more than glad to rub salt in her wounds as he prepared to release yet another batch of Tenrou's enormous magic upon her.

"Your name is your life. You can't forget about it, yes?"

_Let's name you Erza Scarlet._

Said mage struggled to move despite the roots binding her. This isn't the time to think about that!

_With this, you won't forget it!_

Move, damn it!

_It was the color of your hair._

"This is the end, Titania! Terra Clamare!"

Tenrou's magic was released at the battered requip mage yet again. In the end, she wasn't strong enough. She failed to protect her comrades and the sacred grounds of the guild which she had always considered her home. She had let everybody down.

_Are you giving up, Erza?_

This time, it was Natsu... and all the others. They were there to remind her that she can't give up. To remind her what she has forgotten about herself. It wasn't her who was protecting her comrades. It was her who was always protected. With that, she charged at the tree arc mage for the last time with her nakama pushing her forward. The victory was hers - no, it was theirs. Fairy Tail has won.

And as the scarlet-hair's blade sliced across the dark mage's body, a smile found its way to Jellal's face, for he knew at that moment that the heavens has granted his wish. To protect the epitome of strength which is Erza.

To protect the woman he had failed to protect.


End file.
